Blue Jays' Encarnacion refutes reports that landed hitting coach 14-game suspension

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion is refuting reports from an umpiring crew and a security official claiming that hitting coach Brook Jacoby physically attacked umpire Doug Eddings in a Fenway Park tunnel.

Encarnacion says he was there when a heated argument erupted between Jacoby and Eddings, an incident that netted the coach a 14-game, unpaid suspension by MLB on Monday.

"I saw it, but I didn't see anything that they say," Encarnacion told John Lott of the National Post. "They're saying Brook got the umpire against the wall and put his hand on his neck. I didn't see that."

The league assessed a report from the umpires and another from a security official, who was present at the time of the altercation, before suspending Jacoby, Lott reports.

Related: Umpire altercation spurs MLB suspension of Blue Jays hitting coach Brook Jacoby

The incident occurred following the Blue Jays' 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on April 29. Sources told Lott that Encarnacion's version of events is accurate, saying any contact between Jacoby and Eddings was likely incidental during the verbal exchange. 

Both the visiting team and umpires use the same tunnel at Fenway Park to reach their respective locker rooms.

Following the incident, MLB issued a memo instructing visiting team to wait until umpires reach their locker room before heading up the tunnel.

Toronto is appealing the suspension.